The Church at Cane Bay
One thing that has always been a strong theme in my life is the constant faithfulness of God, and my occasional inability to recognize it until later. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 is a great reminder to us: “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” Yesterday was a great reminder to The Church at Cane Bay of His incredible faithfulness.
Charlie and I spent a great amount of time planning and praying for our Discovery Lunch over the last month. We wanted to create a time and place where people who were interested in The Church at Cane Bay would be able to come and hear the vision that God has placed on our hearts for Berkeley County. One night, I had a dream that about fifteen people were gathered together at a meeting like this and were interested in becoming involved in the work that God is doing. I woke up excited and hoping that we could be able to gather a group like this. Our best hopes were to have fifteen to twenty people come out to get a glimpse of the vision and mission. Yesterday, God proved that His plans were far better than our hopes.
After the morning service at Journey Church, our sponsor church, 36 people met together over an incredible barbecue lunch served by Journey! It was a humbling and exciting experience centered around God’s glory and His gospel being made known in the Cane Bay area. Will Browning, teaching pastor of Journey, took some time at the start to share about Journey’s vision to plant this church and their desire for their people to be involved in making it happen. Charlie took some time speaking about the need in South Carolina, and our area, for a new church to be started, as well as sharing some personal stories that provided a picture of that need. I was able to share a little about our vision for the church, outlining the values and actions that will guide the things that we do. We also answered some questions, and were able to let people know how they could be involved in the mission.
We had a good number of people sign up to be involved on our Core Team, which means that they will partner will us fully and go through our Core Team training beginning February 13th. Several people also signed up to join us on a temporary basis to help get us started until we get our feet on the ground. Many people also volunteered to help out with childcare, worship, setup, etc. whenever they are needed. It was an incredible day, and a wonderful reminder. The high point of all of this is God’s faithfulness. He has called us to this mission, and He is faithful to provide what is needed to carry it out. It is His work, and He will surely do it.
Read More
Me,
Mission
Tonight was probably the most difficult night of my ministry so far. I had the responsibility of standing in front of a group of students at First Baptist Church that I love so much and let them know that God is calling me and Emily to start/plant a new church alongside another couple in the Cane Bay area of Berkeley County. I have been able to work with the best students in the world at First Baptist, and I was amazed by their Kingdom mindset in this difficult time. This has been something that God has been dealing with us for a couple of years now, and recently, it has been made very clear to us by Him. We are confident that God is calling us to become missionaries to Berkeley County and He has made it very clear to us. Leaving First Baptist, however, is a very difficult move because of all of the incredible relationships and amazing people that we have encountered and grown with.
So why church planting? Church planting is a movement to start new churches because of the increasing lostness in our American culture. It is reported that around four thousand churches close their doors each year in America. From 1991 to 2004, the number of unchurched in the US has doubled. There is a great need to continually start new churches that will reach the massively growing unchurched population of our country. With much prayer and consideration, Emily and I have agreed with the Lord for me to accept the position of Community Pastor at a church plant in Berkeley County called The Church at Cane Bay. The Church at Cane Bay is a supported church plant of the North American Mission Board and the South Carolina Baptist Convention, which will be a part of the Southern Baptist Convention, South Carolina Baptist Convention, and the Screven Baptist Association.
Please pray for Emily and I as we leave behind a wonderful, secure ministry at First Baptist to step out in obedience to God as missionaries to the Cane Bay area of Berkeley County. Pray that we would be obedient to the call of Christ to leave all behind to follow Him. Pray that we would answer His call in Luke 9 to follow and keep our eyes on Him, never looking back. We love each of you greatly, and are thankful for your love and support over the last several years. Please continue to pray for us!
Read More
Theology
It is always great to see how God enjoys drilling things through my thick skull. This morning in Sunday School with my incredible students, we spent some good time talking about how to make decisions, whether they be really important ones or just everyday ones. It was really nice to get their feedback, and hear how God has been working in their hearts.
Emily and I got lunch with two friends today and the subject came up again. This was slightly an opportunity for me to humorously pick on one of the un-named characters in this story about some gaming in his life, but the reality is that the Lord has been speaking to me all day about it. I face decisions constantly in my life, and some of then really need to be questioned as to making the right decision.
In dealing with this issue in the past, I believe that it really comes down to a few major things: what Scripture says, bathing it in prayer, the advice of Godly people, and testing it with a few questions. Those tests are what I want to mention today, because I believe that they provide great help as we all make decisions that, might seem insignificant, but really matter greatly for God's Kingdom. Here are the three biggest tests that we can give to any decision:
1. Does it Glorify God? - Which action will glorify God out of the options? If this is true of both of them, which one will give God greater glory. Is it possible to worship God while I do this? Is this action an attempt to please God, or to please myself? (1 Corinthians 10: 31)
2. Does it Make Disciples? - Is it possible to fulfill the Great Commission by doing this activity? Will people see Christ in my life while I do this? Is it possible to build relationships with someone through this activity that will help them grow in their relationship with Christ? (Matthew 28: 19 - 20)
3. Does it Cause Anyone to Stumble? - The last question is very important because sometimes we may feel as if the first two can be valid for almost any activity, outside of blatant sin. But the truth is, there are some activities, that in certain circumstances, could be harmful to the spiritual life of those around us. If that is true, Scripture is clear that we need to avoid those activities in that situation. (1 Corinthians 8)
In my life, there are little decisions that I make that deal with how I spend my downtime and time inside the context of relationships that really need to be tested against these principles. For all of us, we come across decisions everyday that must be tested. Whether it is who we should date/marry, what kind of job we are looking for, whether to play video games or go for a run, or what we will take into our bodies, these are all decisions that should be tested according to Scripture and by basic questions like these. Can it be more complicated than this? Absolutely, but in most situations I believe these questions are sufficient to at least help to guide us towards the correct path. We must always continue to look to God's word, hear Him through prayer, and seek to be obedient in our actions to His will and His glory.
Read More
Theology
I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked the question: How do I know what God’s will for my life is? We love asking that question. And we typically get a little mixed up in answering it. The main reason for this is because many of us already know what we want to do with our lives. If that’s the case, the question is really “Does God’s will line up with my will?” And then alot of us ask this question, but in reality we are saying “What is my will for my life?” We then end up with a mixed up blend of our ideas and God’s ideas. I mean, has God ever written an answer to this question in the sky for you to see? We somehow want God to deal with these specific questions for us. We want Him to speak audibly to us.
I think Christians have sometimes fallen into the difficulty of being more obsessed with God’s will than they are God himself. The truth is that God is indeed interested in the small things, but only to the extent that those small things can be used for His glory and His gospel. The fact is that God is more interested in who we are than what we do. When we seek God Himself, instead of the answers, most of the questions get answered.
My favorite verse on the topic is 1 Thessalonians 4:3 - “For this is the will of God, your sanctification.” Maybe if we spent more time focused on being sanctified and less time worried about answers, then we would find our answers. Scripture seems to be pretty clear on the will of God for us. The truth is that it's not about us at all, but rather about us pursuing Him. Proverbs 3: 5-6 deals with this as well in saying "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." We are not to lean on our understanding, but to put our trust in the Lord. If our focus, as His followers, is truly on following Him, then He will guide us where we are to go. I pray that we as believers will not expend all of our energy seeking answers, but instead look to the One who already has them. He will then guide us, as we cannot help but look away from our great Lord and God.
Read More
